BIO

Chogyi Lama, 20 year old guitarist/singer/writer/producer from Woodstock, New York, is a shapeshifter—moving intuitively across genres and styles, embodying whatever he is playing. Sitting in with some of the industry’s most inspiring artists, he has come to be known as a remarkable guitar player with elegance, power and humility far beyond his years. While his original songs and Neo-Soul vocals are reminiscent of a young Maxwell or D’Angelo, his guitar playing is fierce yet fluid and his live shows bring out the Funk. Headlining as Chogyi Lama, he also regularly performs in support of 420 Funk Mob, Simi Stone and was recently spotted at the exclusive private venue, Soho House with Mr. Reed. His work with Darryl Jenifer & Gary Miller (Doctor Know) has brought him to both RIOT and Growlers Fest stages— performing with Bad Brains and into the studio with artists Lenny White, John Medeski, and Denzel Curry among others (be on the lookout, for more of that). His shows call out diverse, multi-generational audiences who he continues to surprise and inspire.

Chogyi has been busy producing upcoming talent, nurturing collaborations and working on original music. Most recently, he kicked off the season at Bethel Woods Center For The Arts—the site of the Original Woodstock Festival, where he will return, as part of the celebrations, on the weekend of the 50th Anniversary.

While lending his talent to others, he also found the time to independently release “Karma”— written, played, recorded and produced in his home studio (powered by a crashing dinosaur of an Imac). The choice to single-handedly create this work was one that afforded him full freedom of expression. It’s out on all platforms

At seventeen months old, Chogyi began working with Jazz musician Jayna Nelson’. Originally hesitant to take on someone so young, she was pleasantly surprised to find him to be her most attentive and focused student––of any age. Her work focused not on instrumentation or theory, but rather, connecting neurological pathways with relationship to sound and vibration. They worked together, weekly, until sometime around age six.

It was Woodstock area musician, Joey Eppard’s percussive style that inspired Chogyi to pick up the guitar at three years old… Beginning with a video of five or so of Joey’s songs followed by one guitar lesson, the two developed a close bond which continues to this day.

With a bit of teenage reluctance, Chogyi joined Paul Green’s Rock Academy as a drummer in 2014. Within a week, Paul convinced him to pick the guitar back up, which he hadn’t touched in about seven years. Taking on more than twice the workload of the most students––switching off between the guitar and drums––he rose quickly to become one of the Academy’s MVP players.

As the grandson of Richie Havens, Chogyi is honored to celebrate the momentous fifty year landmark of the Original Woodstock Festival. While it is an honor to come from such a lineage, he chooses not to lead with his heritage. It is not easy for any artist to come up in the footsteps of a legend. An agile and versatility adept musician, it is Chogyi’s wish that his music speaks for itself, while honoring his grandfather’s legendary contributions to the history of music across the globe. “We recognize it is not always easy to embark on a musical career following in such footsteps,” noted Darlene Fedun, Bethel Woods Chief Executive Officer. “However, Chogyi is gracefully leading audiences to the next generation of talent and artistry. Bethel Woods is honored to have had him kick off this commemorative season and look forward to supporting Chogyi throughout his career.”